How did Gu Yan know Xiao Leng's name?
Was it a coincidence? A fluke? An accident?
No, it shouldn't be any of those.
Gu Yan wasn’t the type to casually mention a stranger’s name.
In other words...
Leng Qingqiu’s heart sank.
Gu Yan... most likely learned the name from Xiao Leng herself.
If we consider the timeline,
the last time Xiao Leng emerged was when Gu Yan went to the Fifth Forbidden Zone.
So, did something happen then? Did Gu Yan realize that the person back then was Xiao Leng?
And did they actually talk?
This contradicts what was said before... Did something happen between them?
Could it be related to Gu Yan’s unusual behavior today?
Leng Qingqiu felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
Xiao Leng was an extremely malevolent personality. If she had manipulated Gu Yan, it might lead him to act irrationally.
So, Leng Qingqiu asked Xiao Ling in her mind, "Xiao Leng, tell me the truth. What exactly did you do to Gu Yan in the Forbidden Zone?"
"How does Gu Yan know your name?"
After a moment of silence in her mind,
Xiao Leng slowly replied—
[Nothing happened.]
[As for why the furnace is acting so strangely, my other self, you might find out soon.]
Find out soon?
Leng Qingqiu frowned.
At that moment,
Leng Ling'er ran over. "Sis! The banquet is about to start, let’s go!"
Leng Qingqiu took a deep breath and temporarily set aside her doubts.
No, today was a crucial day for Gu Yan.
Whatever the matter was, it could wait until after today.
With that thought, Leng Qingqiu nodded gently with a softened expression. "Alright, let’s go, Ling'er."
......
.........
The third day’s annual gathering began as scheduled.
This year’s banquet venue was noticeably different from previous years.
First, the decorations were exceptionally eye-catching. The entrance was adorned with towering white Roman columns, as if leading into a classical palace.
Exquisite crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a soft, warm glow that illuminated the entire space like daylight.
The floor was covered with a long red carpet, its edges trimmed with golden embroidery.
Each table was draped with pristine white tablecloths, set with delicate silverware and crystal glasses, while floral arrangements served as centerpieces.
The lighting inside was adjusted to be soft and layered, interweaving with the candlelight on the tables to create a romantic and mysterious atmosphere.
Live broadcast cameras were positioned at various angles.
Behind-the-scenes staff worked in an orderly manner to finalize the setup.
"Wow! This year’s banquet is so extravagantly decorated?"
"Why are there cameras? What’s going on?"
"Previous years weren’t like this."
"Ah, you don’t get it, do you? Today is Young Master Gu’s last chance to become the head of the Gu Family."
"Whether he succeeds or not, it’s only fitting to make it grand!"
"That makes sense, I suppose."
"Hey, in my opinion, Young Master Gu has changed so much—this year might actually be his chance to take the position!"
"Haha, no way. Gu Yunrou, Gu Yingying, Gu Zihua, and even Gu Linyi are all strong contenders for the family head position."
The guests couldn’t help but be stunned the moment they stepped into the banquet hall.
They whispered among themselves, some even pulling out their phones to capture the rare spectacle, preserving the beauty of the moment.
The women’s evening gowns shimmered under the lights, while the men did their best to exude gentlemanly charm.
Amid such meticulous arrangements, the guests’ faces were all lit with cheerful smiles.
Except for...
Gu Zihua, sitting in a corner of the banquet, gloomily sipping his drink as he watched the festivities with a sullen, powerless gaze.
"Damn it... Does he really think victory is guaranteed?"
Gu Zihua cursed under his breath. Previous years’ banquets had never been this flashy,
let alone with live broadcast setups.
This had to be Gu Yan’s doing—he must be confident about securing the votes this year.
Disgusting...
Gu Zihua sighed inwardly.
Whatever.
At this point, no amount of jealousy would change anything.
Come to think of it,
he had only wanted to become the family head to be with Xuehua.
But now that he had Alice,
maybe it wasn’t absolutely necessary.
Still, the thought of Gu Yan becoming the head was worse than death.
Sigh.
Gu Zihua shook off his thoughts.
He steeled himself, ready to witness the final moments of the banquet.
Just then,
"Young Master Zihua."
A familiar voice echoed beside him.
Gu Zihua stiffened slightly and turned his head.
There, sitting beside him, was Xuehua—but she seemed different from before.
The hair that had once covered half her face was now swept aside, revealing her full features.
To Gu Zihua’s surprise, the scars on the other half of her face were completely gone,
making her even more beautiful than before.
Gu Zihua froze. "Xuehua...?"
"Yes, it’s me."
After absorbing Gu Yan’s claw-like tendrils, the scars on Xuehua’s face had fully healed.
Her demeanor had become elegant yet alluring as she gazed at Gu Zihua. "Young Master Zihua, do you really... no longer love Xuehua?"
"........Do I even need to answer?"
"Very well. In that case, Xuehua won’t trouble you any further. But after the banquet ends, could you come to this place? I’d like to bid you a proper farewell."
Xuehua placed a slip of paper in front of Gu Zihua before leaving.
Gu Zihua picked it up—the address led to a pondside location within the Gu Family Manor.
"This is..."
His heart skipped a beat. This was the very spot where he and Xuehua had first met as children, where he had fallen in love with her.
"Young Master Zihua, is something wrong?"
Alice happened to walk over at that moment.
For some reason,
Gu Zihua pocketed the slip and feigned calm. "It’s nothing."
The guests continued to arrive.
Gu Yan and Leng Ling'er walked at the front.
Leng Qingqiu was escorted by Su Murong and Gu Yunrou as they chatted.
Leng Ling'er, however, was whispering conspiratorially to Gu Yan. "Brother-in-law, are you really going through with this?"
"Absolutely."
"Brother-in-law..."
"Hmm?"
"If you give me the car keys, I won’t tell Sister about the surprise... Oww! Okay, okay, I was joking!"
Gu Yan pinched Leng Ling'er’s blond hair, threatening in a low voice, "You little brat, if you spill it early, forget about ever getting your motorcycle."
Leng Ling'er pouted in frustration. "Ugh... you’re bullying me..."
Honestly, their whispers had already been overheard.
As the Night King,
even the softest murmurs were audible to Leng Qingqiu.
But still...
A surprise?
What surprise does Gu Yan have in store for her?
Leng Qingqiu suddenly felt inexplicably nervous for some reason.
Wasn't today the Gu Family's annual gathering?
What did it have to do with her?
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
+ Slow Paced + Main Character Thrives Together with His Disciples】 Transmigrated into a cultivation world, Chu Xingchen awakens a discipleship system that reveals the tags of his disciples! Starting from scratch, he builds the strongest sect. Disciple One: Li Yingling 【Gold Tag: Genius Cultivator】【Purple Tag: Extremely Lucky】【Blue Tag: Bewitchingly Beautiful】 Disciple Two: Li Hangtian 【Gold Tag: Reincarnated】【Purple Tag: Ruthless and Decisive】【Blue Tag: Loyal and Noble】 Disciple Three: ??? 【Orange Tag: Alluring Demoness】【???】【???】 Thus, in the cultivation world, an unremarkable little sect appears out of nowhere, but little do others know that each member of this sect is a powerhouse in their own right. The book is also known as: Cultivation? It's Exactly Like This!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
